


I'll Be Home For Christmas

by madnessofsorts



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Army, Bucky and Steve, Christmas fic comes early, M/M, Seriously if i didn't do this now I will never get this done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-08-28 15:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8451781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madnessofsorts/pseuds/madnessofsorts
Summary: Bucky promised Steve he would be home for Christmas and he was determined to keep that promise. No matter what.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't have a beta for this so any spelling errors or Grammatical errors are completely my fault. Let me know what you think of this! The more Kudos the faster the next chapter will get done~  
> And if anyone wants to be my Beta, hit me up.

“I still don’t see why you get to go and I have to stay here.” Steve said letting out a huff of annoyance. So what if he had all of these health issues. So what if someone could literally snap him in half? It wasn’t fair.  
“I’ll be home before you know it.” Bucky said as he pulled Steve into a tight hug. He secretly didn’t want to go either, but what choice did he really have? He was drafted in and if he didn’t go, he would have to spend time in jail. He really didn’t want that either.  
“It’s going to be Christmas soon..” Any excuse he could think of, Steve would use even though he knew Bucky had to go. He just didn’t want him to.  
“I’ll be home for Christmas, I promise.”  
“You can’t say that, how do you know for sure you will be home?” Steve Accused, crossing his arms stubbornly across his chest.  
“Have I ever failed to keep a promise?”   “No…” Steve let out a sigh of defeat, his arms dropping to his side. There was no way he was going to win this one. He had to face the facts and watch Bucky Barnes go off into the world with a chance of never seeing him again.  
“Then I will see you on Christmas.” Bucky said as he gave Steve his charming smile.  
“It’s a date.” 

 

That was the last conversation he had with Steve. The last time he was able to hug him and know he wasn’t doing anything stupid. Bucky was shipped out the next day early in the morning and was sent straight into the war zone. The minutes away from Steve turned to hours, those hours turned to days and those days turned into weeks. The only thing that was really keeping Bucky sane was writing to Steve. Every day, Bucky would write a letter addressed to Steve. He wouldn't send them daily, but get a weeks worth then mail them out. Sure he wasn't able to get one in response from Steve since he was moving so often, but just being able to know they were being read by the blonde was enough to keep Bucky going. Today however, was different. The soldier woke up much earlier than the rest of his Battalion and pulled out his pen and paper. He knew he would have to send the letters a little sooner normally, they would have been sent out on a Wednesday, but that was okay. He knew Steve was going to get the letters before he was home. He could stay alive for the next 4 days and 12 hours. He needed to get back to Steve and keep that promise. 

†-minus 4 days 11 hours: 

Today was the day Bucky was going out on a mission. It wasn't suppose to be a hard one, just a simple game of capture the flag at most. It was a few hours before his team he was going with had to get up, so he used this time to write his last letter. It was a daily occurrence for Bucky: waking up just before the break of dawn before anyone else had even thought of getting up, only having the lights that shone through from outside of the tent type thing they were in to write.  
"Dear Steve,  
It's another day that I am away from you, but one day closer of coming home.  
I can't believe I will finally be able to see you again so soon. I miss you, Steve. I hope you're doing good and stayin out of trouble. I don’t wanna hear that you decided to get in another fight while I was away. I know you are getting these letters sooner than normal, don’t worry everything is okay. It’s just that I won't be able to write another letter since I am going out on a mission today. I'll tell you all about it when I'm allowed to. All I can say it's only a few days long, I will be back before you know it. It’s really the getting there and coming back that's going to take the longest. You're always on my mind Steve. Stay out of trouble, okay? As soon as I get back, I'm takin you to get those hot dogs that you like so much. So you better be prepared for that and you better not be sick.  
I miss ya, punk.  
James B. Barnes."

Bucky sealed the letter and stuck it onto the pile of other letters with a rubber band. It was time to get ready for the day. With his boots on and riffle in hand, the soldier headed out to meet the other men. After a brief talk, the group of men heading to the vehicle that was going to take them to the entrance of the woods. That was as far as it could go. If they tried to take the vehicle any farther, they would risk being heard by the enemies. Bucky sat in the bed of the truck watching as the base camp slowly got smaller and smaller as they went out. The group of men talked amongst themselves discussing what they were going to do when they returned after the mission since they would all be going back to their loved ones. Bucky vaguely listened to what they were saying, he didn't really care. He just wanted to get back to Steve and never go back to the war zone. All of this was just too much. Yes, Bucky knew what to expect when he was shipped off. But what he imagined was so much different then when he had to experience in person. In some of the letters he had sent to Steve, he spoke of some of the missions he had been through. But he never went into detail. He never spoke of the time he saw one of his fellow soldiers die right in front of him. After all, that should have been him. He was pushed out of the way by the man who got shot in the chest. He couldn’t tell Steve that. Not now not ever. A frown was on the soldiers face as his mind replied that moment. It was something he would never forget that was for sure. The vehicle was getting closer to the woods and the men on board began to prepare their belongings. It wasn’t that much longer now.  
Only 4 days 8 hours to go.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second Chapter in a week? Oh my!   
> Once again, I don't have a beta and I mostly write these chapters during my classes. So If there are any mistakes, completely my fault! 
> 
> Let me know what you all think. Kudos make me smile as do comments!

The journey from the vehicle to the building they were looking for was a long and rather muddy one. The Soldiers were all walking two by two, guns in hands and bags which carried supplies such as food, waters, and first aid on their backs. The talking and joking that was going on previously had come to a stop as soon as they stepped foot into the wooded area. Instead it was replaced with strategy talk. It was game time now. Bucky stayed near the back farther to the side keeping his eyes open for any signs of the enemy. There was no time to worry about home at a time like this. If their minds were anywhere but in the present, it could lead to the death of the whole battalion. The sun was shinning through the tree branches, sweat dripping down the soldiers faces as they made their way through the trees. As they marched on, the terrain turned into a swamp. That just meant they had to hold their guns over their head as they walked in waist deep water. They couldn't risk getting water in their weapons. If they didn’t, there was a chance of the weapon getting clogged. 

Bucky looked up at the branches of the trees. The golden leaves were falling one by one onto the ground. He was surprised it wasn’t snowing yet, but he believed it would be soon enough. If only he was back in Brooklyn where at least he would be able to lay on the sofa with a warm blanket and watch the snow falling from the comfort of the apartment. Bucky knew he shouldn’t be thinking of home at that moment, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn't wait to go home. Hell, all the men probably couldn't wait. The water was cold and filled with bugs. If Steve was their, he'd probably get sick. Bucky mused at that thought. Steve was the only thing that kept Bucky going forward. Well Steve and the sight of dry land that was just a little further in the distance. Trudging through the muck had tired the men out. The soldiers had spent a majority of the day in the mud. But soon, When the sky had darkened, the muck went away and dry land was back under their feet. Dry enough to rest on anyways.

The men decided on watch duty and the order of who was going to watch. Bucky would be on watch on the third wave, the last one of the night. That didn't mean he would get any sleep though. But he had to try. Who knew what they would face the next day. Bucky got settled against the tree, gun resting across his lap as his eyes closed. He could hear the sounds of the others moving around, getting settled. The sounds of tired footsteps moving back and forth and the soft sounds of chatter lulled the brunette into a light sleep. He knew better than to let himself fall into a deep sleep. 

It only felt like he had just fallen asleep when he was woken up to do his watch. Only 3 days and 23 hours now until he could go home. He could make it, he had no choice but to. Bucky rose from his spot on the ground, letting the other take his spot as he moved over to where the other was once sitting. Bucky didn’t really want to just sit there, so he reached for his bag and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen he tucked away and began to write. 

“Dear Steve,  
It’s been one full day since we left the camp. It felt like the second longest day of my life. The first was when I got on that train and had to leave you behind. Pretty much everyone is asleep right now and I am really just writing to make sure I stay awake. I only got a few hours myself so if I start to ramble, I am sorry. Anyways, let me tell you of the adventure it was to get to only this resting point. At first it was okay, just like walking through the woods behind your house. Remember doing that when there was that Christmas party a few years back? Well it was just like that. Only with guns and heavy bags. I would have been perfectly fine with that if the ground didn’t turn into a swamp on us. It was kinda funny though. One of the men on this trip wasn’t paying attention and he tripped over a tree root and fell face first into the muddy water. I think that will be the only fun thing that will happen.   
Anyways, I think that is enough of my rambling. I should probably do something productive like clean my gun and make sure it actually works.   
Just wanted to remind you: Steve Rogers I” 

…

And that was where Bucky had to end his writing. Quickly, the soldier threw the pad and pen back into his bag and rose quickly, waking the men up next to him. An ambush was happening. Taking their positions, the men all woke up and got their weapons ready. Bucky found a spot up on a hill between some trees. Laying on his stomach, he had his gun pointed to the horizon. He could see movement in the distance. 

Not long after seeing the movement, bullets began to fly past the group of men. From where Bucky was, he could see his men hiding behind the trees, popping out to shoot whenever they could. It was his job to make sure none of them got killed. So far, he was doing a good job at that and was taking out the opponent. He was thinking they might actually get through this first wave of people. That was until he saw a tank coming their way. Cursing to himself, Bucky called out to the closest man to him telling him to get the others to retreat or at least go back to the swamp and hide out. Bucky stayed back as he watched his men all leave one by one. It was all going fine until one of them was shot in the leg making him unable to move. Bucky wasn’t going to leave him behind. Besides, he had time to get them both out. Right? 

Wrong. Bucky had just gotten over to his fallen friend and pulled him so they could hide behind a tree when he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. He didn’t have time to think of himself. He had to get the soldier to safety. Bucky ripped off his sleeve and tide it tightly around the wound on the other mans leg. It was the best he could do as of then since the supplies were taken by the others, but if he could just get the soldier to the others, everything would be okay. However, before he even had time to get up or register the sounds of approaching footsteps, darkness consumed Bucky’s vision. 

 

T-minus 3 days and 20 hours until he could be free from this hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you want to be my beta, hit me up on Twitter @ Lnfinitystone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's exam week for the next few weeks. Figured I would get this done now so I wouldn't have to worry about it later.   
> I apologize if this is crap.   
> Any spelling errors or grammatical errors are all my fault. 
> 
> If you want me to do another multi-chapter fic let me know!

It was dark when Bucky opened his eyes. Well at least he thought he opened them, he wasn’t sure. He couldn’t really see up from down either. Where ever he was, he was laying down. But he didn’t know why or how he got to where he was. Wasn’t he in the forest? The last thing he remembered was bullets flying. Someone was shot down. But who? Was it him? No… it couldn’t have been him. He would be in a lot more pain if it was him who was shot down. For whatever reason his brain decided he should touch his shoulder. He brought his right arm up to meet his left shoulder. It was wet. But he couldn’t tell what the liquid was. Maybe it wasn’t liquid. Maybe the ground was just wet. He was on the ground wasn’t he? Whatever he was laying on was hard and cold and he didn’t like it. The soldier sat up as best as he could, grunting in the process. His right arm holding him up as the left just hung to the side. It felt like a truck had run him over. Well to be fair, Bucky didn’t know what that felt like, but he was pretty sure it was close to how he was currently feeling.   
He didn’t know how long had past since he returned to consciousness. It could have only been a few minutes. But if felt like hours had gone by. He didn’t know why he felt so tired either. Sluggish really. Did they drug him? Bucky didn’t really have time to think much more on that since he heard footsteps coming his way. The loud sounds of boots pounding on the cold concrete moving closer and closer to wherever he was being held. The footsteps had stopped but the jingling of the keys had taken its spot. The door creaked as the person turned the handle, opening it wide letting the lights shine through. Bucky tried to shield his eyes from the light. But he didn’t have enough energy to lift his arm up. He didn’t remember laying back down. Wasn’t he sitting up not that long ago? Instead, he stayed where he was, closing his eyes as tight as he could.   
Who ever walked into the room went over to the soldier and kicked his arm. Pain rushed through Bucky’s body. Why did it hurt so much? Now that he thought about it, why did his whole body hurt? Bucky didn’t remember much more after that. Everything was just a giant blur. The only thing he could remember really was being hit more. He vaguely remembered being pulled out of the dark space he was held in and placed onto a table. Straps were placed over his legs and chest. His arms tide down to the metal slab. He wanted to move, to pull them off, but Bucky couldn’t find the strength to do that. He couldn’t even open his eyes. The sounds of metal hitting metal rang through the room. Bucky thought he heard the man speak to him, but he wasn’t sure. Well he wasn’t until the person came over to him and slapped Bucky across the face. With furrowed eyebrows, the soldiers eyes opened slowly. There was a bright light above his head and a face to the left of him.   
“ На кого ты работаешь” The man asked in a deep rough voice.   
Bucky didn’t respond. How could he when he didn’t know what the man was saying?  
Another slap.   
“ Я сказал, кто ты работаешь” This time the man spat in Bucky’s face. The soldier stayed still. He knew better than to flinch.  
“James Buchanan Barnes 32557038” He said as best as he could through his strained throat. When was the last time he drank anything? Speaking was a lot harder when he was dehydrated.   
The man said some other things, to fast for Bucky to even try to translate. He was to tired for that. He knew not to give in. He wasn’t going to give in. He just wanted to sleep. But the man wouldn't leave him be. Bucky’s eyes were still open, watching the Russian mans every move. He watched as the man grabbed something off the table. A syringe. When did that get there? Bucky tried to move his arm away from the man but he couldn’t. Either from being tied down or just from the lack of energy he had, he couldn’t even move his toes. The man moved closer to Bucky, tapped the end of the needle and stuck it into the soldiers left arm. A cold feeling ran through the soldiers body. His eyes closed as the coldness turned into pain unlike anything he had ever felt in his life. This was it, this was the end of the line and Steve wasn’t even there with him. Although Bucky figured it was a good thing Steve wasn’t there, he just wished he would have been able to keep his promise. He was suppose to be home for Christmas. How is that possible now? The darkness felt welcoming, like home. Slowly, he gave into the feeling. He didn’t have to feel pain anymore. Even as those thoughts ran through Bucky’s mind, he kept repeating his name. He was going to give no other information. Not now not ever. A loud bang could be heard in the hall way. The Russian man dropped the Syringe and ran out of the room leaving Bucky tied to the table. Bucky didn’t even realize it though. He was to out of it. His eyes were open as he stared at the ceiling saying his name and number. 

T-minus 1 day 3 hours and 22 minutes  
The next few hours had been strange. Somehow, someone had saved Bucky from the building he was in. Bucky had been in and out of consciousness during that whole thing. He couldn’t recall anything if his life depended on it. It happened to be the men in his battalion that saved Bucky. They had taken him and brought him back to the base camp where they then placed him in a helicopter shipping him off to a hospital. Once he had arrived, the doctors had placed the soldier into an induced coma so they could perform surgery on the brunette. Surgery he didn’t even know he needed. 

T- minus 1 day

The surgery had been a success. The soldier was being prepped to leave to a hospital that was nearby his home in New York. After being wrapped in layers and layers of blankets, the medical doctors moved the bed Bucky was sleeping on and brought him onto the army plane. 

T-Minus 2 hours 

Steve had heard the news that Bucky was captured. He had gotten a letter from a fellow army mate along with the ones Bucky had sent. But as soon as he had gotten the news Bucky was alive and heading home, Of course Steve rushed off to the hospital. Not caring that he didn’t grab his jacket or that it was getting colder out, Steve ran out the door and straight for a cab. 

T-Minus 3 seconds

Bucky could hear frantic steps rushing down the halls. A huge grin was on his face as he knew who those steps belonged to.   
“Steve!” Bucky said with a goofy grin. Okay, so maybe Bucky was high on his pain medicine, but at least he was happy again.   
“Told ya I’d be home for Christmas!”   
Steve came rushing over to the brunette and wrapped his arms around him as best as he could.   
“You’re jerk” Steve muttered into the hug.  
“Yeah, well at least i’m your jerk, punk.” 

So maybe all of Bucky didn’t make it home. But the majority of him did.   
Bucky Barnes was home for Christmas and not just in Steve’s dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on twitter at @Lnfinitystone
> 
>  
> 
> Translation one: who do you work for.  
> Translation two: i said who do you work for


End file.
